Guild Wars: Heros Within the Mist
by Krynnalexia
Summary: This is a story written about my last guild. I used the characters that everyone had. Please read and review. It follows all the crazy things we do and creates a story with good characters and background. Enjoy.
1. Prologue

_**Guild Wars**_

_**Heroes Within the Mist**_

_**The Mist Of The Fallen Chronicles**_

"_**Though one door closes with sadness of the past; a new door opens to reveal a happy future." **_

**Prologue:**

"Alright guys, Prince Rurik has asked for our help. I have already told him that we were on it," Reika Healing Light started, "Our mighty Prince has informed me that the Charr have invaded Diessa Lowlands. He is sending his soldiers to defend the Grenditch Courthouse, but it is gonna take some time. He wants us to go and meet them there. He wants us in the front line, fighting with him. If we get there before his troops, he told me that we should try and force them back as best we can; the courthouse can not be lost to the enemy."

"You got it, we won't let you down Reika!" Vaan assured her.

Her other officers and her members were saluting and cheering. It has been a while since they had something to do. She looked around, they needed this mission. Her members were now pulling out their weapons, polishing them and getting them ready for battle. Everyone was so excited…..everyone but her best friend.

Reika checked in every direction, but the Amazon, Jada Kay, her best friend was nowhere to be found.

"Aiden, Vaan, Kevlar, where is Jada?"

"We don't know, she was gone when we woke this morning. We thought she was with you," Kevlar said.

Suddenly worried, she ran up to meet the guild lord.

"Where is Amazon?" she demanded of him.

Before he had a chance to answer, a female voice interrupted.

"I'm right here, Reika."

They all turned and Reika's heart stopped pounding. She was okay. Jada, the Amazon warrior from Magumma Jungles, stood before them. She had new armor and a brand new weapon, they noticed.

"Well, I guess I don't need to ask you where you've been," the monk, Reika, smiled.

"Yeah, I'm sorry to worry all of you. I finally had the gold to upgrade my armor and weapon. This is my new green staff, got it from a guy in Lion's Arch. He traded it to me for a good price. I gave him four thousand and a few rare materials I will never use."

Jada was smiling, she was so happy to have a new weapon. The one she had owned previously was the same one she got when she first graduated from Nolani Academy. It had been time.

"Wonderful, and where did you get the armor? I've never seen it before."

"There was a merchant from Cantha in Scoundrel's Rise. I spotted him on my way home. He was on his way to Yaks Bend in the Shiverpeak Mountains. He said it was his first time in Tyria, and he was not a fighter. He wasn't armed, and I thought about the Stone Summit. Without weapons or protection of any kind, the Stone Summit barbarians would tear him apart and steal anything he had with him."

Jada led them to the barracks, stopping at her door and entering. They all sat inside. She used her magic to start a fire in the center of the room; it warmed up fast.

"Anyway, I told him about the danger and told him I would not let him go alone. I traveled with him, protecting him from centaurs, the Stone Summit and minotaur beasts."

Aiden turned in his seat to look at her, amazed, "It was just the two of you?"

"Yeah," she answered.

"And you fought all that off by yourself?" he exclaimed.

"I'm not new at the art of battle, Aiden. I am twenty years old; I have already bypassed you and your skills. I have elite spells remember. I handled myself fine. If you recall, I have already had to save your butt a few times."

They all laughed, including Aiden. Reika slapped him on the back and smiled.

"Anyhow, we made it to Yak's Bend safely. For protecting him, he gave me Canthian armor as my reward. I told him it was not necessary, but he wouldn't take no for an answer."

"I see, so now you have new armor. That was very generous of him. It looks awesome, and I like the silver color. It really brings makes you look angelic. You are so pale, but it works for you. I also noticed you got a new golden hair piece. The flame aura lights it up, you practically glow Jada." Reika said, walking around her, admiring her new look.

"Thank you, but there is more."

The four of them waited for her to continue, "What is it?" Vaan asked.

"I was on my way home from the Bend, and ran into the King's advisor. He was panic stricken. He said that the King's personal guard were slaughtered on their patrol of the northern territories just above the breach. Lady Althea has been taken captive."

"Oh no, poor Althea. What are we going to do now, we have a mission to carry out. You missed the announcement early, Jada. The Charr are invading the Diessa Lowlands. We are setting out in a few hours," Kevlar said.

"That's fine. It is all in the same direction. I'll go and rescue Althea, and you guys go to the Lowlands and protect the courthouse; I assume that is why our Prince is sending you there."

"Yes," said Reika.

"Then it's settled. When I have Althea safe, I will come and join you in pushing the Charr back from the courthouse."

"I won't let you go all alone, Amazon."

Jada could tell Reika was serious. She only called her Amazon when she was getting angry. Reika cared too much for her to let her go alone and possibly get killed or captured herself.

"Reika, you and the rest of the guild are going to be busy battling the Charr, you will all need to be there…"

"And we will need our nuker. Jada you are just as important as the rest of us; you also need to be there."

"Reika, I am going to go and get Althea. I will sneak in and find where they are holding her. I can go around their camp. I won't get caught. I'll be fine."

Reika was growing impatient, but she knew that Jada would do just what she pleased. She had to learn to trust her abilities more. Jada was a very powerful Elementalist, and a phenomenal Mesmer. She could handle herself in battle even if she was alone. Reika had to learn to let her friend go and work on her own.

"Okay, Jada….you win. We all leave for the Lowlands in an hour. Everyone should be ready to move by then. When we reach the Breach, we will split up; Jada you will go and find Althea and we will continue on to the Lowlands."

"You got it!"

* * * * *

"Ok, Reika, I'll see you as soon as Althea is safe. When I have her out of harms way, I will bring her to Grenditch Courthouse. I will join you then," Jada said, kneeling to her guild leader.

She gathered her backpack and filled her belt pouch with powders and potion bottles. She saluted the other officers and Reika, and said goodbye and good luck to her fellow members.

"Take care, Jada." Kevlar and Aiden said, hugging her.

"Yes, if you need help, Jada, alert us with your magic," Vaan told her, laying a hand on her cheek.

She smiled; it was no secret that Vaan liked her very much. She was flattered by all the attention he gave her, but she just didn't feel the same way.

"I will, Vaan. I promise."

They watched as she ran off towards Dragon's Gullet. Reika hoped she would be ok. She forgot to remind her about the large two and three headed beasts that lurked in the Gullet.

"You coming, Reika?"

She turned to see her members already a few yards ahead of her. Aiden was waving to her, beckoning her to him.

She followed them and took the lead. She couldn't think about Jada right now, she had to lead her guild into battle.

"Reika! Look!" She squinted and could just barely make out the massive forms of the Charr heading toward the courthouse gate. She counted at least fifty of them, maybe more.

"Okay, people, let's move. Protect the gate!"

They ran at the beast army, taunting and yelling, doing anything to get their attention. They needed to draw them away from the courthouse. Reika used her powers and covered the entire guild in a blanket protection spell.

"All nukers to the rear, warriors to the front! Let's take them out!"

* * * * *

Jada had to go the long way around to get to the Gullet. She saw a devourers' burrow, and decided she didn't want to waste time destroying them when she could be saving Lady Althea. So she went around their den. She cut through the tar pits and as she crossed the second bridge, she was cut off by rock elementals. She rolled her eyes; they were so annoying. Rock elementals were big, but slow and hard headed. They were not very smart.

Six large elementals blocked her path to the Gullet. She rose in the air, chanting the spell to conjure a fire storm. She raised her arms in the air above her head and called forth the storm on her targets.

The fire storm rained down on the elementals. They were being broken up into pieces. They were not on fire, but within a few seconds, the six were destroyed. She continued on her journey. She bumped into a few obstacles, but they were minor and easily taken care of.

She ran another couple of miles before she could see the smoke from bonfires.

"That must be the Charr campsite……" she said to herself.

Jada could see the site when she climbed over the hill. The campsite was down in the valley; she would have to really sneak in to avoid being seen.

She opened her belt pouch and pulled out one of the bottles. She drank a restoration potion, restoring her health, taking care of any wounds she had from before, should she be spotted. The beasts were sitting around the fire, talking furiously in their own language.

'Idiots,' she thought, 'Now where could Althea be?'

She moved about the camp, ducking behind barrels, dodging around tents and boulders to avoid discovery. There were far too many of them for her to take on alone. She knew that.

Suddenly, she heard it; a faint cry for help. Someone was crying.

Jada was about to find out who when a massive shadow hovered over her.

She started to spin around when she was picked up like she was nothing more then a doll. Its massive, clawed hand was tight around her neck, her feet dangling pitifully. She stared into a horrible, shaggy, face that was growling at her.

She managed to say, "Phoenix!"

The spell exploded in their location, creating a crater. The creature dropped her and she took off. She ran into the Gullet further, checking behind her every so often. Within a few minutes she was safe; they were not pursuing her. She didn't understand why. There were far more of them. What were they afraid of?

Without warning, she was knocked on her back. She was in searing pain. Her body had been shelled with a powerful flame attack. She had never been on the receiving end of a fire elemental hit before. It was pure agony, but it would pass. But what had done it, who had conjured it?

She tried to get up, then she was bombed again. It was a meteor spell. Where was it coming from? Her armor was singed. She held her hand in the air, summoning her fire staff. She stood and saw immediately what had attacked her. It was a hydra, a three headed creature that lived in Dragon's Gullet. She had completely forgotten about them. They were the only thing that she had fought so far that could beat her.

She was alone, but it was only one. How hard could one be?

She stood, holding her staff high, she called a meteor shower down upon it. It was working but slowly, the creature was just too big. The monster was huge, at least ten times her size.

She called, "Immolate!" setting the beast on fire.

That didn't work very well, it hardly phased it. It only made it more angry. It roared and the ground began to quake. It was almost like thunder. She tried another tactic. She decided that maybe if she could weaken it, take all its energy, she could kill it without any problem.

She reached into her belt pouch and took out several of the bottles. Two of them contained purple powder. She threw both of them at the hydra. The fumes that were released seeped into the beast and sucked all the energy out of it. It roared angrily again. The ground shook more, almost more violently, as though the tremor was getting closer.

More roaring, then she realized that it wasn't the one she had been fighting. As she stood, she looked toward the mouth of the Gullet. There were at least ten other hydras closing in on her. The beast that attacked her had roared, calling for help.

She was surrounded and already badly injured. She was going to die here. She had failed. Althea was still in the hands of the Charr, and Reika would be expecting her return and be sadly disappointed. She started to cry at the thought of Reika worrying for her.

The hydras were closing in on her. She was going to have to think of something fast, she was running out of time. The hydra to her right chomped its jaws at her; one of its fangs pierced her arm. The wound was deep, and bleeding profusely. Then the one beside it, swiped at her with its tail. It missed, but narrowly. She tried another spell, and conjured a phantasm to distract it. As it flew around its target, he inhaled, stealing some of its life force.

Angrily, the single male hydra came at her, and kicked her, its claws slicing the side of her abdomen. She was sent sailing across the rocky, desert ground. She was bruised and bleeding. She was weak, her pulse was slowing with every breath as the blood was pumped out of her into a puddle on the ground.

She stopped rolling when she hit something solid. She moaned and tried to look at what she had hit, but she was in too much pain. She could hardly lift her head. She moaned again and curled into a ball. Her life was draining out of her and she did not have the energy to save herself.

A darkly clad man had seen the flames flying in the valley. He had come down to see what was going on, he always loved a good battle. He and his pet, Akamaru, ran till they witnessed an elven looking female fight a pack of hydras all on her own.

As she was being kicked across the harsh ground by the buck of the group, he was running down to help her. She had been kicked right to him. She attempted to look up at him, but she was too badly beaten to move. He saw the lacerations on her smooth, pale skin, and the tears on her interesting garments.

'She must be a foreigner,' he thought. He had never seen armor like she was wearing.

"Akamaru, you stay here and guard her. I'll take care of them." he grinned.

The wolf, his pet and partner, stayed behind obediently. The canine licked at her wounds, trying to stem the bleeding. He then sat next to her, protecting her from harm, and watched impatiently as his master took on the hydras alone.

The man, a necromancer and skilled hunter, faced his enemy. It didn't take him long. Between his life stealing spells, his poison arrows, and curses, he had decimated the entire pack. They all lay at his booted feet, dead. He chanted a spell and bone minions, and bone horrors rose from the corpses. They followed him back to the wounded female.

He sliced them all down, killing them instantly. The corpses fell around the woman.

"Well of Blood," he said quietly.

A bright flash of green swept over the three of them. He did not need the well, but she certainly did. It was giving her the life she needed to regenerate. The life from the corpses was soaking into her.

He watched as the spell worked its magic. He was happy to see her open wounds closing fast. As he gazed upon her, he suddenly wanted nothing more then to hold her. He couldn't understand why.

He took the time to really look at her. She was very pale. He thought that maybe she was half elven, but he was certain she was also human. She had short, silver hair that went to the middle of her cheek. A gold and crystal hair piece lay over it. She was wearing strange armor that he had never seen before. She was very pretty.

He found himself wondering what a pretty thing like her was doing way out her in the danger of the Gullet alone.

She began to stir. She groaned, and brought her hand up to her forehead. She seemed to be feeling for something.

"Oh no," she practically whispered.

Akamaru, the necro's pet, licked her face gleefully.

She pushed at the wolf, fending him off.

She opened her eyes and saw the wolf first, then saw the man who owned him.

"Who are you?" she said, petting the canine.

"My name is Ray. That was quite a performance, Miss……" he waited for her name.

"Jada, Amazon Jada Kay."

"An Amazon, huh? Well, Miss Jada, you are very lucky to be alive."

"Yes…" she stood, brushed herself off, then kneeled, "I am grateful to you, Sir. I am in your debt."

He stared horrified. She was kneeling before him like he was some sort of royal. He never thought of himself as anyone important.

"Stand up, will ya. I'm nobody special. Don't bow to me," he said, taking her hands and helping her stand.

She blushed at his touch, but hid it well.

"Well, if there is anything I can do for you, Sir…." "Call me Ray."

"Very well, Ray, if there is anything I can do for you, you let me know."

"Okay, I will. I might think of something I need."

She gave his partner another scratch behind the ears, and started to walk away. She held her hand in the air, and her staff magically appeared. She pulled a red stone out of her hip pocket and chanted, "Shalen Nila."

A flame shot out of the stone and started circling her head.

Ray was astonished, "What is that?!" "It is called a Flame Aura. I got it from a merchant from Cantha."

"So, you are from the eastern continent, then?"

"No. Look, Ray, I'm sorry to do this to you. I really would like to talk and get to know you better, but I simply do not have the time."

She started to run in the opposite direction. He glanced at Akamaru and then the two of them ran after her. They followed her to a Charr Army encampment.

He grabbed her wrist as she was about to walk right into the enemies layer.

"Are you nuts?! What are you doing?" he said, quietly.

"Let go of me, I must go in there. I must rescue Althea."

"Then, I will go with you. I'm not letting you go alone."

She simply looked at him. She was stunned to see the determination in his emerald eyes. He would not let her go alone. She didn't have time to argue. So, together, they saved Althea.

* * * * *

"Reika, duck!"

Aiden pulled back his arm, three arrows notched and ready. He let them fly. Their poisoned tips penetrated Charr armor. Three of them went down, gasping for air; the poison worked fast. It was constricting their lungs.

"Nice shot, Aiden." Reika praised.

Unfortunately, her and her guild were losing. The only elementalist they had in the guild was Jada, and she was not back yet. They needed her to nuke these Charr, and she was off on her own saving the damsel in distress.

"Where is Jada when we need her?" Reika asked out loud, wishing that she were there. They needed her to force the Charr back.

Suddenly, a meteor shower fell fiercely from the dark sky. Reika saw the Charr run for shelter, while others fell to their deaths. Aiden, Vaan, Kevlar, Reika, and the others looked in all directions.

Jada was waving at them from several yards away; but she was not alone. There was a stranger with her. Or was he stalking her to kill her, he seemed dangerous. He was sort of skulking behind her, and she didn't seem to notice. He also had a pet wolf, they were known to be vicious creatures.

As Jada got closer to them, the strange man following her, raised his hands, ready to attack her.

"Jada! Look out!" Vaan yelled, running to protect her.

Vaan tackled the man that moved like a shadow. The two of them tumbled to the ground with a crash. He was punching him anywhere he could manage, fore he kept blocking his movements.

The rage seemed to grow the more he struck the stranger. There were cries behind him, but he wasn't listening.

A fireball struck him in the side. His armor was more then enough to take the damage lightly. He turned to see Jada dashing at him and knocking him sideways. She used all her body weight to shove him off the dark clad man.

"What are you doing?" he exclaimed.

"Stop! He is a friend. He helped me rescue Althea. Please, stop hurting him."

"Enough, we don't have time for this. We have…." Reika was cut short. An arrow was sticking out of her side. It had gone deep. She dropped to the ground slowly, trying her best to stay standing.

"R E I K A!!!!!" Jada screamed.

She ran to her best friends side. She pulled out the arrow and tore a piece of her skirt to pack the wound. She was crying, her tears smudging her makeup. She was rocking her; she didn't know what to do. She was not a healer. She was devastated.

"Reika, say something."

"I'll….be alright……Jada…." Reika managed.

She was fading fast, she didn't want Jada to watch her die. She was in so much pain, she passed out. Amazon Jada Kay thought she was dead when her companion didn't respond.

Vaan, Aiden, and Kevlar were coming towards her to comfort her. Ray, who was simply standing by, watching, seemed to fill with anger. The Charr that had made this girl unhappy was about to pay dearly. His brow furrowed and he started forward, then stopped in his tracks.

He watched in astonishment as Jada rose to her feet, and turned. Her eyes were glowing bright white, there was no color in them at all.

"What is happening to her?" he asked, rushing forward.

Kevlar moved closer to Ray, putting a hand against his chest to keep him back, "This has only happened once before. When she gets really angry, her magic seems to have a mind of its own and takes over her. It's like she is a different person."

"Yeah, the only thing to do is to either listen to her, or get out of her way," Aiden said.

"Half of you, move left, the other half move right. I will nuke these evil bastards once and for all. They will pay for what they have done."

She suddenly burst into flame, her body was fully engulfed.

"The Amazons she used to live with called her the Phoenix. She turns into something, we don't quite know how she does it."

Ray watched, but did as she asked.

"No, you are coming with me, necro," she said, pointing to him.

They all obeyed her command, Ray followed close behind her.

"Hey, Amazon, are you gonna be okay?" he asked, testing the waters.

She didn't answer him. She was too far gone. The Charr saw her coming and charged. She was gonna wait till they had her trapped and were all in one area. She started to rise into the sky.

"Ray, go and bring Reika here. I'll need you to work your magic in a minute."

While he ran back for the female monk, she started chanting. As she did, the flames grew around her body. She called for the storm, the meteor storm. It crashed to earth, knocking all the Charr over. Immediately following that, the fire storm rained down once more. As soon as she had the energy for the next spell, she conjured a phantasm to fly around the lot of them and drain their life away slowly.

"NOW!"

The entire guild ran at them, attacking with everything hey had. Once Ray had Jada's monk friend on the battle ground, he helped as well. The Charr that were still alive were attacking her. She was a sitting duck in the air. He had to protect her.

He used his own life to aide her, "Blood….is…..power!"

He felt his life force weaken, but it was worth it to see her gain hers back. It gave her the power to keep fighting. Within a few minutes, the beasts were destroyed. They lay dead beneath her. She looked down at him, "Perform your magic, the blood magic you performed before…….to save me."

Her fellow officers surveyed the look on her face. She was back to being depressed, but she had shed light on the strangers reason for being there. He had saved her. That alone made him a friend.

"Ray, help her. Work your blood magic…now….please."

She was begging, Ray couldn't stand it, "Very well."

"Well of Blood," he whispered.

The flash of green light occurred again, and enveloped them all. Those who had been wounded, were healing. Reika, was being regenerated. The life that had been left in the bodies of the Charr was seeping into her limp body. Hopefully, she was not already dead, or this spell would have no effect at all.

"Stand back, you," Vaan said to Ray, rather rudely.

"My name is Ray," he retorted.

"Whoever you are, the Phoenix is descending. Move aside."

Ray listened, but only to be out of Jada's way. This way she could see to her friend.

"Reika?" she said in the strange voice that was not her own.

Her body was still aflame, her eyes still aglow. The monk began to wake. Jada stared down, hoping to see her smile. She just needed to know that she was okay.

Reika's eyes fluttered open. She stretched and yawned as though waking from a nap. She sat up and her gaze fell on the fiery being before her.

"Jada, is that you? What….what have you done?"

Reika looked around silently demanding an answer. Her gaze fell on a man with a scar across his eye. He had black, spiky hair and armor of a necromancer.

"Who are you? I don't believe we have met," she stated, locking gazes with him.

"My name is Ray, your friend and I met in the Gullet," he folded his arms, showing that he was no threat.

She stood, and laid a hand on Jada's burning shoulder, much to her own discomfort, "Phoenix, we have no need for you. I want Jada back this instant."

Suddenly, the flames disappeared and the Amazon's eyes returned to their normal baby blue. She fell to her knees, seemingly out of energy.

"Hey, what's wrong with her?" Ray asked.

"I have been monitoring her movements. She has been turning into the Phoenix more frequently lately. The others have not known this. It seems to me that the power of the Phoenix drains her. We will have to figure out a way to keep the Phoenix from taking over."

"I see, Miss Reika. That is your name isn't it?"

"Yes."

"I would like to join your guild. I would like to be given the opportunity to fight with you all. I would also like the chance to help you, help her."

Reika paused, thinking, then nodded her head, "I'll introduce you back at the guild hall. Come with us. We may have to carry her. I'm not sure she has it in her to walk."

"No worries, I got her."

Ray turned and picked Jada up in his arms, "Let's go, princess."

Jada relaxed against his shoulder, allowing him to do as he pleased. Ray let the monk lead the way. She was leading the way to the guild hall. Finally, he would have a place to call home.

* * * * *

Back at the Hall…..

"Well, Ray, give me a minute. I'll be right back." Reika walked away into the hall on the Frozen Isle.

Ray followed, his mouth dropping open at the grandness of the guild hall. There was so much space. The guild he had been in before didn't even have a hall. He gazed around; it was even fully loaded. He could see a storage agent just inside the doors. The guild lord was at the gates, watching outside for invaders. There was a merchant, a dye trader, rune trader, a skill trainer, and many other wonderful things. It was like its own little town.

He followed her to the center of the hall and stayed back just far enough for her to gather her members and officers. When she was ready, she beckoned him to her.

Still carrying the Amazon in his arms, he went to her.

"Everyone, for those of you who have not been formally introduced, please welcome Ray into our ranks. He is a skilled necromancer and ranger. He is experienced, but still has a lot to learn. Please make him feel at home," Reika announced.

The small group nodded, but no one said anything yet.

"Here, Ray, the guild lord will take care of Jada."

The guild lord took Jada Kay from him, and walked off toward the barracks.

"Also, welcome, Satual of Old. He is also new to our guild this day. I met him days ago, he has just arrived from Ascalon City," she continued, then turned towards the two new comers, "We are your family now. Please do not hesitate to ask for help in training if you need it, though I am told that Satual is Aidan's nephew. Aidan is one of the great heroes of Ascalon."

There were some oohs and ahhs from the group but nothing else.

Reika turned to a male hunter, "This is one of my officers, his name is Aiden Amun, no relation to the great hero of Ascalon, I assure you." "Welcome to the nut house!" he offered a hand to them both.

'He's going to be fun to hang with,' Ray could already tell, taking the hand shake.

Moving aside, Reika pointed to a male warrior.

"This is our warrior, Vaan Striker."

"Hey, welcome to the guild. Need anything….just ask." he smiled, though it seemed forced.

Reika knew the reason, but Ray didn't seem to understand his silent animosity.

Then, as Reika moved on to an empty space, "Amazon Jada Kay, you have already met. She will be attended to when we are through here."

At that, the group suddenly seemed dejected.

The pale female from the Gullet slowly walked toward them. Ray saw her immediately, and frowned. The guild lord was running up behind her.

Reika saw his face and turned to see Jada limping up to them.

"What are you doing out of bed?" Reika asked as Ray caught Jada from falling.

She bowed her head, then looked up at him and Satual, "I'm sorry, Reika. There is no excuse for my absence, I'm perfectly well. Welcome, young traveler, to your new home," then she smiled sweetly, "And congrats Ray, on joining our guild. I was hoping you would be one of us. If you had not asked Reika to join, I would have. I thank you for your help today."

"Oh, it was nothing," he blushed, but he was dark skinned and scarred, no one could tell, "But, Miss Jada, shouldn't you be resting. You are still very weak."

"I'm fine, please Reika, continue with the announcements."

Against her better judgment, she did, "This is Amazon Jada Kay; she is a true Amazon warrior from the Maguuma Jungles. She was raised their way, though she is half human and elf. She is my commander, and always here if you need her."

Reika smiled at that, she was proud of her team. Jada was her best friend.

"Well, seeing as we have already met, Princess, looking forward to getting to know you better," he said, still helping her to stand. Though, he blushed even as he did so. She didn't seem to notice.

Jada smiled again. She turned and saluted the woman monk, then fainted in Ray's arms.


	2. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One:**_

_**Eight months later……**_

"I'm coming to get you!" Ray yelled after his current prey, his superior officer, Jada Kay.

Amazon Jada Kay, the Amazon warrior from the Magumma Jungle, was crossing the large wooden bridge. She turned her heel and took the stone steps two at a time. She continued around the hall, Ray trailing close behind her.

Ray loved his training sessions with Jada. She was so good; he always learned something new. It turns out elementals were his weakness; he had a hard time beating them. But he learned while training with her, the best way to fend off her attacks.

She was a good officer, he had to admit. Reika, their guild leader, had told him that Jada had been her second in command since the beginning. He swore to himself that he would work hard to become an officer as good as her for Reika too. He loved being in the guild so much, he promised Reika he would never leave her side.

Jada had agreed to train with Ray upon his arrival. This was their fifth session since then. They always practiced in the guild hall. They were safe here, no matter who won.

Ray was currently grouped with two of his comrades, Aiden and Satual. They had become fast friends since his first day in the guild. Ray and Satual were like brothers, best friends. The two archers had currently taken positions in the hall to block Amazon in her tracks should she pass them. Aiden stayed just behind the running pair, in case Jada turned on him and Ray got into any trouble. Satual hid well so that he had the art of surprise at his disposal.

"If you think you can catch me!" she yelled over her shoulder in response.

Jada was not as fast as Ray, but she had a few too many tricks up her sleeve.

He had to chase her in Satual's direction. With Satual hidden, and Aiden and himself behind her, she would be trapped like a rat. She would be taken down and they would be the victors, for once.

"I'm faster then you, Jada. I'll catch up eventually. How long do you think you can keep running?"

Just as she stopped and turned to hear what he had to say, he saw Satual coming up behind her. His was an incredible hunter. He was so skilled, even his pet wolf made no noise at his command. Akamaru, his own pet wolf, was keeping pace beside him. She was out numbered. She was gonna lose this time. Ray smiled. He just about had her.

"Ok, so I won't run any more," she smiled back. She loved surprising him, it was always good to teach him something new.

Jada paused a moment. She could feel eyes on her, like she was being watched. The hairs stood up on the back of her neck, someone was hiding nearby, ready to strike. She knew it was either Satual or Aiden; she thought of Satual first.

She was getting ready to fight Ray, her powers beginning to grow. He was her target. He could see she was using her energy on a elemental spell. Her body began to rise in the air, she closed in her arms. The flames circled her body.

He knew this spell, and was prepared for it this time. He was not very good at dodging it, however.

She put her arms in the air and a bright red light formed.

Satual shot poison arrows at her, hoping to at least hit her once. Just as one penetrated her chest armor, piercing her skin, she shouted, "Phyre Rilencia!" her arms coming down swiftly.

Ray moved to dodge the barrage of meteors, but was surprised to find that he had not in fact been her target. He heard a howl coming from under the bridge. Satual was being knocked on his back by the flaming rocks behind her. His pet ran away, his fir singed slightly.

'So….she had known he was there all along,' he mused, 'Smart girl.'

Jada fell out of the air, landing on the frozen ground with a sickening thud. Her body was convulsing, her normally milky skin turning a diseased looking greenish yellow. She coughed, and hacked up blood. The poison was working quickly. It might not take long for them to beat her.

Ray saw her cough up blood and panicked. He was supposed to be fighting her, but suddenly he wanted to be her hero. He was worried they had truly hurt her; they had, but in scrimmage it didn't matter. Anyone who died would be resurrected immediately afterward. He started towards her. He was going to make sure she was ok.

Jada was not going to go down like this. How could she have been taken so easily. She had known that Satual was there, but thought she would have spoken her spell before he could get any shots off. Jada understood that this was just a game, but if she didn't try the best she could here, then she would lack when it came to real battle in the field. So, she would win this scrimmage if it killed her.

"Ray! Get away from her!" Aiden yelled; he was running to catch up.

Ray turned to look at him and reprimand him for being so cold.

"Ray! Run! Get back! Get away from her!" Aiden repeated, he could already see she was not down for the count. Ray was being too honorable.

Ray turned to take her hand and comfort her, but her eyes flashed with anger, not just pain. Before he knew what was happening, he was on the run. She was right at his heels. She was slow because of the poison in her system, but persistent.

He could see Aiden running toward him, "I've got her, keep going!"

Aiden pulled back his bow and fired at her. She tried ducking, and slid on the ice, narrowly missing the arrow that flew by her head. He missed her the first time, but nailed her the second time with a crippling shot. The arrow entered her side.

'Her armor protection must almost be gone; that was too easy,' Aiden thought.

In her condition, she faltered once, then kept up her pace, the arrow still in her side..

He pulled back to fire at her again to slow her down some more. He knew she had the heart of a fighter. She had so much will power, she would go till her legs would no longer carry her.

He attached a dust powder bag to his arrow and notched it. He let his arrow go, and it hit her in the shoulder. Upon impact, the bag burst and the choking powder flew into her face. She was blinded, flailing her arms, trying to grasp at something to regain her balance. His arrow had interrupted her spell.

Aiden shook his head; the woman just had the will of a hero. She kept going no matter what. Her body could be dying and she would still try to keep fighting. He had always admired her for that. Even though she could not see, she yelled out her target. He saw her perform a spell and attempted to duck for cover.

"Immolate!" she cried, still teetering.

Her hands were full of flames. She threw the contents of her palms at Aiden. He was set on fire as she ran passed him. He wouldn't be burning long; the spell only lasted about three seconds, but it was all she needed to distract him. He would be in too much pain to follow her immediately.

She had somehow managed to stay on her feet. She looked at her hands, the greenish tint was still present. Looked like the poison was seeping deeper into her system, it was getting to be a darker shade.

While she ran, she pulled Aidan's arrows from her side and shoulder blade, her own blood staining her hand. After a moments pain, she threw the arrows aside and cursed. She would be over it in a second. She had to keep up or Ray would have too much of a lead.

Ray glanced over his shoulder and saw her stagger at his comrades powerful hits. He knew that Satual's poison was still coursing through her blood stream. That was the main reason for her slow pursuit.

He looked ahead and saw the entrance gate. The ice cave was not far beyond that. He could hide in there and wait for her to catch up. How could he have been so soft? He wanted to help her, and she was gonna take action while he tried to comfort her. She took these games very seriously. Well, he would be ready and she would have no idea what hit her.

His pet wolf, one of the better parts of learning ranger skills, was beside him ready to fight when he was. He would have his pet, Akamaru, attack to keep her busy and then take her down in just a few spells.

Jada came around the corner and lost sight of Ray. He was probably hiding out somewhere ready to pounce on her. Well, she was ready for him and his pet. The wolf liked her too much. All she had to do to get around him was start to scratch behind the ears and he was down. She smiled to herself, Ray would be so annoyed by that. She was glad she brought the liver scraps with her; Akamaru would be a piece of cake.

She rounded the corner and stopped. His tracks had vanished, the snow was no longer helping her. In this part of the hall, the snow had been removed, revealing a cobble stone floor. She checked in all directions. The Guild Lord was still up by the main gates. She could see just across the bridge where the merchant was standing, nothing looked out of the ordinary there. The ice cave was a few yards ahead of her. That was probably the best place for him to ambush her. It was up on a hill and she happened to be below that point.

She started toward the cave when Satual jumped out in front of her. She backed up slightly, preparing herself for an attack.

"Hey Amazon!" he said, smiling.

"Satual…." she said quietly, backing up.

"No, no, no, I'm not going to attack you. Just wanted to let you know, Aiden and I are dropping out. We are both officially singed and just wanna watch you kick his butt again. So, don't worry about us anymore."

"Ray is gonna be pissed that you're bailing on him," she managed to say. The poison was really working her system. It was taking its toll on her.

He sighed sympathetically, suddenly sorry for his attack on her, "Yeah, well, it's so much more fun this way. You guys are so entertaining."

She laughed weakly, "Ok, but don't say I didn't warn you."

Satual high-fived her and then ran for the infirmary to bandage his wounds.

Jada continued her pursuit of the necromancer and smiled inwardly.

As expected, Ray's animal jumped out from the cave. It was ready to attack as per its master's orders, when she whistled. It came and she tossed it the liver scraps. It ate them quickly, and then nuzzled her hand for thanks. She cooed for it and pet it lovingly. It rolled onto its back and howled when she rubbed his furry belly.

"How is my cute little man?" she said sweetly, though she was still in pain.

She didn't have much time, the poison would finish her soon and Ray would win without even trying.

Ray watched in astonishment. He smacked his forehead in annoyance.

'Traitor…..' he thought, 'What am I going to do with him?'

He could take her anyhow. It was time. It was now or never. He took a piece of demonic flesh out of his belt pouch and ate it to increase his health and drank demonic blood to up his energy. Then he went at her.

She looked up as he charged her.

His hands went up as he chanted his curse, "Malaise."

His green toxic spell flew out and sucked the life right out of her.

Jada weakened more, but only slightly; it was a slow working spell.

"Vampiric Gaze!"

Again, Jada stumbled. Her eyes were fixed on his glowing green eyes. Then he hit her, while she was still in trance, with a rotting flesh curse. While she was unable to heal herself, her life was slowly ebbing away.

The first curse wore off, and she stumbled, realizing where she was. She caught herself before falling to the ground completely. She was so weak.

'His spells are powerful….he is getting good,' she smiled with great pride.

She was about to perform her own magic, when he attacked again.

"Agony!" he said, and touched his forefinger to her damp skin. He could see her losing her energy, and without energy, as an Elementalist, she couldn't compete.

Jada screamed out in pain. Her head felt like it was going to explode, her muscles were on fire.

He was going to win. One more hit should do it.

Jada was on her knees now. She was going to die. He had gotten so good. It was smart of him to wait for her in the shadows. She didn't know where he would end up coming out from, though she had some kind of idea. The ice caves was really, in this hall, the only choice. Sometimes, though, he did surprise her.

She was still in this battle. She was not going to sit here and die without fighting. Reika had taught her better then that.

She gathered all the strength she had left and trained her mind to focus. Just as he was about to throw something else at her, she practically whispered, "Backfire!"

Ray had not been ready for it. He thought she was down and unable to participate in this scrimmage. His spell had ricocheted and soared back at him. It hit him hard and he was knocked on his ass. He would be soar later, the cobble stone ground was painful.

"Thought you had me, did you?" she smirked, weakly, "Spirit Shackles!"

In a split second, ghost like shackles appeared in her hand, and she threw them at him.

"Oh no, not that!" he yelled as the shackles locked around his wrists. As the locks clicked, he dropped his weapon, no longer able to hold it.

She tapped the ground and watched as his energy seeped out of him and into her.

"Ether Feast!" His health was fading, slowly leaking out.

He could feel his energy seeping out of him. She always did this to him. This was how she always beat him. As soon as he was out of energy, he could no longer use his spells. And he did not have much to begin with.

'How does she still have the energy to beat me, I had her. She never gives up.' he thought.

He tried to get something out, anything, anything to slow her down.

'Where in the hell are Aiden and Satual?' he thought angrily, 'Probably having a good laugh at my expense.'

Just as Jada said, " Phyre Solores!"

Ray shouted, "Insidious Parasite!" as soon as her spirit shackles finally faded.

The Fire Storm hit him, but not without hurting her. He smiled gleefully at her reaction. She had not seen that coming. Now every flame that hit him, sucked life from her. She was, in essence, killing herself.

He frowned when he saw she had one of her restoration potions left in her pack. She drank it and he watched as it started giving her her life back.

"You are finished, Ray. Inferno!"

With her fire staff in hand, she conjured the spell that would take him out of the game.

As it hit him, he fell to his knees and collapsed in the snow.

It was over, she had won. She could relax. She let the poison fully take her, and let herself die. Within a few minutes, she was revived.

As she grinned ear to ear, she heard, "Okay you two, that's enough."

Jada smiled, sat up lazily. She stood, then ran over to the opposite resurrection site panting and waited for Ray's body to return to the world of the living. This was the only place where that was possible, in the hall during training, thanks to the ancient gods of Ascalon. Out in the real world however, if one dies, the only way to return is if your guild has a good healer. They and they alone can resurrect you from the dead.

Reika sauntered over to Jada and waited with her for Ray to return.

"How did it go? Is he getting better?" she asked.

"Yes, his fighting skills have improved very much."

Jada saw Aiden and Satual sitting near the storage agent. They were waiting for Ray's return as well. She had a feeling that Ray was not going to be happy with them for bailing on him.

"Welcome back, Ray," Reika said, holding out a hand to help him up.

"Yeah, thanks; I lost again. I will beat her one day. I will," he said, taking her hand.

"When you do, you will have learned all I can teach you," Jada smiled.

"And you two! How could you just leave me there? You were supposed to be helping me!"

Ray stomped over to them and picked them both up by their collars. Their feet were hanging just above the ground.

"Aww come on, Ray. It was so much more entertaining this way," Aiden said, his feet searching for floor. All Satual could do was laugh uncontrollably.

"Aiden, I thought I had taught you better. You never leave a teammate behind."

"Sorry, Reika," he pouted.

Ray dropped them and turned, "So, what's going on, boss?"

"Officer meeting, now. Jada," she turned to her second in command, "Use your fire magic to send out word. I want all officers here immediately."

"As you wish, Reika."

Within a few minutes, Reika could hear her other officers entering the hall. They came down the foyer steps and sat in a half circle around her so they could all see her. Jada returned to her post beside the monk. Ray sat between his two new best friends and waited contently for the meeting to begin.

"Welcome, thank you all for coming on such short notice. We have been given a new assignment. Prince Rurik has asked us to set out in search of Althea, she has been missing for several days. He fears the worst. He has trusted us with this task because of our reputation," Reika began.

"I have also heard from Cynn, that Mhenlo has been talking to Rurik a great deal about us and our triumphs in our dealings with the Charr," Jada added.

The group began to cheer. They were being praised even by Mhenlo, the great hero monk. That in itself, was something.

"Silence!" Jada hushed them. She didn't stand for nonsense during official meetings.

Ray looked at her and smiled. She was so good at her job. She had a certain kind of power even if she was only second in command. She is what kept Reika's guild organized, he knew that.

She smiled back, he was so cute. She wondered what he was thinking half the time, but now was not the moment to be worried about that. There was a mission to carry out. She had work to do.

"Alright, lets go then. We are moving in two teams. Jada, Ray, Satual, you are with me. Aiden, Taz, Vaan, and Kevlar, you are in the other team. We will check the lowlands first, then we will move toward Borlis Pass. Kevlar, I want you and your team to check Serenity Temple first. She was supposed to be there days ago. Lets move."

IN THE FIELD….

"Look out, Reika!" Amazon yelled, tears in her eyes.

Her leader was too busy keeping her team alive that she wasn't watching her own back. There were too many creatures attacking. Ray was busy with a dozen devourers above them on the plateau and Satual was taking out a horde of gargoyles. Jada created a fire storm at both their locations to help them out and then ran for her leader.

"Reika! Get back, Reika!"

"I can handle it, just stay away, Jada. That's an order!"

"No, I won't let you die!"

The stone elementals surrounding her leader were going to obliterate Reika if Jada didn't do something. It was so like her best friend to not ask for help. She always wanted to do everything herself.

"Phoenix!"

A flaming bird swooped down at them and exploded, turning them all to ash. Reika spun around and scowled at her.

"I told you to get back, Amazon!"

"I'm sorry," she sputtered.

"She was only trying to help, Reika, don't yell at her!" Ray shouted from above, having finished off the devourers himself.

"I didn't ask for your opinion!"

'What has gotten into her?' Jada thought to herself.

"So sorry, I thought," he said, jumping down from his position to assist the rest of them, "We were a team."

He scowled at the monk; he didn't like her attitude at all.

"I will deal with you later," She said, glaring at Ray, "Carry on."

They continued their journey north, toward Serenity Temple. That was where Althea was rumored to have been seen last. They moved in silence, no one daring to get Reika's temper up again.

Ray would glance at Jada every few minutes. Reika was watching them, though she was sure neither of them knew. She was very upset. This Ray was ruining her nice order. He was brainwashing Jada a little more every day. The more time the two spent together, the more she started to disobey her. She had had more then enough of that.

Once they reached the temple, just outside of it a collector told them the story of Althea's demise. Inside, he told them, were her ashes. They were being held in the event that someone would come looking for her. Her ashes were to be taken back to Prince Rurik. They got her ashes and started back for the ruins of Ascalon, where Rurik was waiting for them.

* * * * * *

Rurik was devastated. His eyes were full of tears as he took the urn from his loyal guard guild, On the Edge of Reason. He knew that they had tried their best to make it in time, but they had no way of knowing that she would already have been dead.

THE NEXT DAY……

Jada woke slowly, rubbing her eyes in the morning sun. The snow made the light so bright it was blinding her. She put on her armor, ready for another day of training, and walked out of her quarters and into the main hall. She nodded politely at the storage agent, Xulani, and then continued on to the cave, where she would be sure to find her fearless leader. She could just picture Reika mulling over the map of Tyria, deciding on their actions for the day.

Upon entering the cave, she saw and heard the loud angry voices of her friends. She walked closer still and realized they were all yelling at a total stranger.

"Hey! What's going on here? That is enough! Everyone, stand down!" she said, stepping between the man and her fellow guild members.

"Why don't you ask him!" Satual said viciously, pointing angrily at the stranger.

Jada raised a hand at Satual, silently telling him to calm down. She turned to the stranger.

"Hi, I apologize for their behavior. I don't believe we have met. I'm Jada, who are you?" she asked politely, assuming Reika had recruited a new member and forgot to tell someone.

"I'm the new leader of On the Edge of Reason."

"What?!" Jada was taken aback.

"You heard me, I'm in charge now. Unless of course…you want it for yourself, but it's gonna cost you," he smiled.

"Cost us? I don't understand…..where is Reika?"

Ray stood back, having had his say moments earlier and watched in horror as Jada was beginning to put things together.

When she was not answered, she lost her temper and her patience, "Where is Reika?! I demand to know, tell me!"

Her eyes were turning brilliant white and her body glowed fiery red. Her emotions were getting the better of her. Ray wondered what her true power would be like. The Phoenix was alive now and Jada was under control.

"I have no idea," the strange man said, still smirking.

"You will tell me, or I will…" Phoenix began, when she was interrupted.

"You will what? Torch me? I have your precious guild in my hands, you will do nothing. If you want it back, it is all yours, but it will cost you a heavy fee."

"Of course we want it back, but I want to know what you have done with Reika?" the fiery being demanded patiently.

Ray hated seeing her like this. He hated seeing her so upset. He watched as she lost all of her anger. It was turning into sadness. The fiery being remained, but the flames on her dwindled in power. She thought the worst and could not think of what she would do if Reika was dead. Her eyes still glowed brilliantly white. The Phoenix had not yet freed Jada.

"I did nothing to your former leader. She left of her own accord. She welcomed me to the guild, as I was looking for a new place to call home and then put me in charge. She said I could have it. But that if you all wanted it back, that I should charge you a fat fee for it. No questions asked."

"What? How could she? Why would she?" Jada was immersed in grief.

Satual stepped up, grabbing the stranger by the arms, "What exactly are we supposed to pay you for something that was originally ours?"

"Thirty thousand gold pieces."

"That's outrageous," Satual said.

"But we will pay it, of course," Ray said, coming closer finally.

It was time he took things into his own hands. He would not let this wonderful guild he had become fond of fall apart. He would not let Jada down.

"Ray, are you crazy? That is way too much, where are we gonna get that kind of gold?" Satual argued.

"Do you want the guild back or not?"

Satual was about to say something, but upon seeing Jada's dejected face, he thought better of it. Ray would do whatever he had to, to see her smile again, and so would he. She was like a sister to him, and he did not want her to be so upset.

"Reika left us with nothing. She took Aiden and some of the others with her. So, we need the guild back if we are gonna do anything to make it the way it was. How much do you got? Vaan? Satual?"

"About ten thousand, you?" Vaan said.

"I got about ten thousand too," Satual added.

"I can come up with the rest."

Satual and Vaan handed Ray the gold, and he in turn gave it to the invader.

"Thanks, nice doing business with you. Here you go….the deed to the guild hall. See ya," and the stranger disappeared.

Ray turned to look at the Amazon woman that was on her knees behind him.

Ray picked her up by her arms, much to his own discomfort. He would deal with the burning, "Listen up, Phoenix! I'm getting tired of your interference. We have no need for you! I want Jada back! Right now!"

After a moment, the flames disappeared, and the baby blue returned to her eyes.

"Jada, I am willing to put this guild back together, but I need you. I will make it bigger and better then Reika ever could have made it. Are you with me?"

Jada stared up at him, wiping the tears from her eyes, "Sure, I can help. I don't know how much I can do for you, but I'll try."

She stood on her own and tried not to look so sad. Ray smiled at her, "No, Amazon, I want you to be by my side. You are my officer. I want you with me. Do you understand?"

Jada stared at him, and did understand. He loved her. He was doing this for her, not just himself.

"Yes, I understand. I will be by your side, always. I promise," she said.

And Jada always kept her promises.

"I'm with you too, Ray. I won't leave either. I'm here to stay, whatever you need, I'm your man." Satual agreed, Vaan stepping in too.

"Good, then let's get started. We have a lot of work to do."


End file.
